LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
DNA is genetic material. Substances that contain cells that contain DNA, such as blood and sweat and saliva can have many other substances as well, but a crime lab would likely only look for DNA.
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I'm sorry but I've never worked in toxicology.
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Bleach will also destroy DNA but of course that may damage items. Soap and water will do.
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Take all the science courses you can and visit labs that do the kind of services you’re interested in.
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I am not sure that it would be possible to detect freon, particuarly the type of freon, as I have no idea what instrumentation would be used or its limits of detection or what effect contact with live or dead would have on the compounds, whether it would tend to react with them or not. I do think it's highly unlikely they would look for that as they would most likely, after the prints had been developed and photographed for the ridge detail, swab up the prints and test them for DNA from the person who left the prints. That process would be designed to detect DNA and nothing else. I suspect these results would come from a magical movie 'Batcomputer' that can tell you every single thing about anything on the planet you drop into it.
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For school projects please email me at: lisa-black@live.com
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titles and job requirements aren't uniform, so the only way to know is to call the crime labs in your area or whereever you might be interested in working and ask them. At the coroner's office we had to have at least a bachelor's in a natural science (this was before they had forensic science majors). At the police department where I am now, they only require a high school diploma but you get more points in the interviewing process for having a four year degree, so we all have one. You can also go on the websites for professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and check out their job vacancy postings and see what the various positions require. Good luck.
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